“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?”
-Matthew 16: 26
Have you sold your soul?
If so, I can help you get it back.
This isn’t going to be easy, but I promise you that it’s going to be worth it!
By retracing our steps and figuring out when and where you sold your soul, we’re going to get that sucker back.
First let me tell you something. This may confuse you, but…
I was Jesus…
In university, I was Jesus.
What I’m trying to say more specifically, is that I played the role of Jesus in a play while I was at university.
(Always read the fine print, folks).
In any case…
I was part of a drama club, and during casting the professor saw my tussled, Billy Ray Cyrus hair and beard and said I “looked like Jesus.”
Who was I to argue?
Please note: no photographic evidence that I ever had a mullet exists and I officially deny any such claims.
So: the play was a medieval morality play called Mary of Nijmegen. It’s about an innocent young woman who runs into big trouble in the forest and begs somebody to save her.
The bad old devil shows up and seduces her, getting her to sign away her soul and live a life of sin in the big city.
Eventually, however, she starts missing her family and wants to turn from her wicked ways after seeing a pageant in which Jesus preaches about sin and salvation (that’s me, playing a medieval actor who’s playing Jesus in a play).
I know, quite meta…
Anyway:
I then give her a stern sermon and tell her the price of making a deal with Satan (not recommended).
The key point of the morality play was this: Mary had a choice to sell her soul to the devil, he didn’t just yank it away or trick her.
He made a deal with her, and she sold her soul. Then she was on her way to Hell (spoiler alert) except for repenting and making amends…
The choice aspect of the play always stuck with me, and relates closely to this topic…
That’s because I think that in our modern world many people sell their soul without realizing it.
And so I’ve made this list to check if you sold your soul and didn’t yet realize it.
10 signs you’ve sold your soul (and how to get it back)
1) You care more about what others think of you than what you think of yourself
There are a lot of opinions out there and they change with the wind.
One of the worst signs you’ve sold your soul is that the opinions of the outside world are what steer your destiny and decisions.
You are literally willing to be downright miserable and depressed as long as you’re a success and admirable in the eyes of others you deem “cool” or “successful” in society.
This type of mindset leads to complete personal and emotional ruin.
But it’s more common than many people realize.
Until you break Out of the Box and confront the lies that are running your life, you will keep falling prey to other people’s conditioning.
And you’ll keep giving your soul away.
2) You’ve betrayed your core values for money, fame or sex
Money, fame or sex are all pretty good things.
Or so I’ve heard from friends…
But if you sold your soul to get them, you got a bad deal.
One of the worst signs you’ve sold your soul is that when you look at the achievements of your life you see a trail of your own blood leading to them.
It’s the blood trail from stabbing yourself repeatedly in the back to get to where you are.
Not a pretty image is it?
If you’ve had to betray the principles that built you to get to where you are today then you’re not a success in my eyes, you’re a disgraceful failure.
You may look like a million dollars to the woman on your arm or the guy reading a magazine with you on the cover, but to someone who could see your soul-hole you’re just a bum, guy!
3) You get no joy or meaning from the life you live every day
Life isn’t a picnic. It’s no walk in the park. You get the picture…
But you know what? I am one of those rebellious few who believe that life should bring you some joy…
I like life to have a little bit of color, some verve, some panache and even some balderdash (look that one up)…
One of the biggest telltale signs you’ve sold your soul is that your life brings you no joy.
Even the morning coffee before everyone wakes up…
Or the loving caress of your back from the wife you (should) still love…
It’s just all insufferably empty and something huge is missing but you’re not sure what…
Somewhere along the way you sold your soul for stability and now you’re cursing destiny.
Sad!
4) You use fear and intimidation to keep and grow your power
Fear and intimidation have their place (on the rugby pitch when a coach is motivating his troops).
But they’re pretty sad tactics to see someone using in their professional or personal lives.
I’ve had bosses who put Stalin to shame, and the thing I noticed about all of them was that they had no soul (really, I scanned them with my soul tricorder when they weren’t looking).
But seriously speaking, there’s just no excuse for using aggressive threats and behavior to scare people into doing what you want.
Whether it’s your girlfriend or a bus driver, you need to chill out and not be the kind of dickweed who ruins people’s days for no good reason.
Nobody wants to be that guy, trust me.
5) You get richer and more powerful by destroying our natural environment
Here’s the thing about our natural environment: we’re part of it and without it we’re all going to die.
There’s only so many excuses we can make and political games we can play.
Our environment is in trouble, and global climate change and pollution is anything but a joke.
Our coral reefs are dying and our forests are being clearcut. The lungs of the planet are being excised and suffocated.
It’s time to stop pretending it’s acceptable and turning a blind eye. If you’ve sold your soul by profiting from environmental destruction then you’re a big part of our current mess.
As Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) shouts about the approaching comet in the 2021 film Don’t Look Up:
“Would you please just stop being so fucking pleasant?…
“What have we done to ourselves? How do we fix it? We should have deflected this comet when we had the fucking chance, but we didn’t do it…
“The truth is I think this whole administration has completely lost their fucking minds and I think we’re all going to die!!!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_-oTLQNlFY
6) You profit and benefit from crushing and manipulating people’s souls and bodies
Whether you run a ruthless corporation that exploits labor or help write an educational curriculum that crushes souls and stifles creativity, you are acting out the part of a soulless drone.
If you make money from manipulating people’s souls and bodies, you’re part of the problem.
You can’t really be OK with exploiting people unless there’s a part of you that’s dead or heavily repressed.
If you’re fine with seeing workers misused and mistreated or seeing people’s emotions twisted and screwed around with in order for you to benefit or get ahead in life…
You’re not a bad person…
You’re just less of a person (one soul less, to be exact).
7) You use love and sex as weapons to gain leverage over others
Love and sex are powerful magic. Like all powerful magic, they can be used for good or ill.
One of the most disquieting signs you’ve sold your soul is when you use love and sex to gain leverage over others.
Seduction, mind games, playing with someone’s heart?
These are all just tools in your toolbox that you take out and artfully twist when necessary to get a desired reaction.
You crash through life using and abusing whomever you’d like for your own pleasure or gain and never once look at the damage left in your wake…
That’s not the behavior of someone with a soul.
8) You believe that you’re better than other people around you
One of the other top signs you’ve sold your soul is that you genuinely believe you’re better than other people around you.
You look at someone with less money, health or success than you and think “what a loser.”
No matter how much you smile or are kind to them, there’s some deep-seated part of you (the part where your soul should be) that looks at them as lesser, as failed or flawed.
This is harmful because it creates a world where people are judged as objects and discarded as objects.
On a side note…
When it comes to the value of a soul, it may not be as abstract as some claim, either.
Writer for Insider, Walt Hickey actually concludes (satirically) that a soul is worth approximately $2.8 million USD.
You can check his math here.
9) You use knowledge to control and exploit people
Another of the most disturbing signs you’ve sold your soul is that you use your knowledge and ideas to take advantage of people instead of to help them.
Being someone with creativity and intelligence is a great gift, but it also has the potential to be very dangerous if you misuse it.
That’s because you’re abusing the greatest power any of us have…
Let me explain why in the form of a question:
What is the most powerful thing in the world which, if you had it, would give you influence and control over all human beings?
My answer: an idea is the most powerful thing in the world.
The most powerful force in the world is an idea which convinces people who hear it and goes on to shape the monetary systems, power, cultures, weapons, jobs and laws of a society.
It all started with one or more powerful ideas.
That’s why if you have the power to use an idea to improve the world spiritually or physically, you should do so!
Using your knowledge and ideas, instead, to keep people down or misuse them is the lowest of the low.
It’s the kind of soul rape that has no excuse.
10) You’re addicted to the drama and seeing suffering brings you joy
What kind of person would get joy from seeing others suffer?
Actually quite a few people. The German word for it is schadenfreude.
But the more intense version of it is those who get a genuinely creepy little thrill when they see the latest disaster on TV or hear about an impending war.
Isn’t it terrible, they bemoan with a glint in their eye.
The truth is that apathy has created a society of people who are desperate for some action.
People have sold their soul for some excitement, even if it’s the apocalypse.
If you’re addicted to the drama and embracing a blackpill reality because of boredom or depression, your soul has strayed far from you and you need to get it back…
Are there any ‘take backs?’
Yes, otherwise I wouldn’t bother writing this article.
What?
Would I just put this here to tell you that you’ve sold your soul and it’s too late?
That would be kind of a dick move!
No, no it’s not too late.
There’s still hope for you yet. Here’s your five-step soul rescue plan, friend.
1) Grab yourself by the horns
Getting back your integrity and recapturing your inner spark is hard.
As easy as it was to sign off all you believe in and take a ride to the top, you’re going to have to dig down deep into your roots to return to sanity and stability.
So what can you do to get back your soul?
Stop looking for it somewhere “out there.”
Begin with yourself.
Stop searching for external fixes and answers to sort out your life, because deep down you know this isn’t working.
And that’s because until you go within and unleash your personal power, you’ll never find the satisfaction and fulfillment you’re searching for.
I learned this from the shaman Rudá Iandê. His life mission is to help people restore balance to their lives and unlock their creativity and potential.
He has an incredible approach that combines ancient shamanic techniques with a modern-day twist.
In his excellent free video, Rudá explains effective methods to achieve what you want in life and stop selling yourself short and betraying your core values.
So if you want to build a better relationship with yourself, unlock your endless potential, and put passion at the heart of everything you do, start now by checking out his genuine advice.
Here’s a link to the free video again.
2) Make amends
If at all possible, make amends for the ways in which you have hurt others.
If this means literally going and saying sorry to people you’ve hurt and taken advantage of, then do so!
They have no responsibility to forgive you or even hear you out, but if they’re willing to listen to what you have to say, then go for it.
If you’ve broken the hearts of people around you and let down friends and family, think of this as your comeback tour.
You might be a little older and greyer, but you are ready to be the guy they always hoped you would be and do whatever it takes to make their lives better.
3) Stop being a ‘good person’
On a related note, it’s crucial that you stop trying to be a good person.
If you want to get your soul back, you need to drop a self-righteous view of yourself as being “good.”
You may be a relatively good person. You may be a literal saint who’s reading this article from a monastery and scoffing at the godless writer who’s penning this.
But I assure you that thinking of ourselves as “good” is a real stumbling block to actually being good.
Now, I don’t personally think that we should celebrate our brokenness or being “bad” either.
But I do think it’s vital to take a realistic and nuanced view of our fragile human nature.
None of us are fully “good,” and we can’t start getting back our soul and being our real selves until we come to terms with that and fully accept it.
4) Let it go, bro
If you want to get your soul back, you need to learn how to let go.
Let go of that inner voice that’s demanding you achieve outer recognition and praise.
Let go of the part of you that wants revenge and payback for all the shit you’ve suffered in your life.
Let go of the teachings and systems that told you your anger, sadness or confusion are “bad” or negative.
They’re energy. They’re emotions. You’re not broken or flawed, you’re you.
Let these feelings flow through you, and stop trying to section off a good and bad section of yourself.
Let go of the need to even understand everything at all.
Life’s a mystery! Embrace it, and laugh in the face of the chaos. Good things will happen and your soul will float back to you like a beautiful bluebird in the wafting, cherry-scented air of the summer.
5) Breathe
One of the biggest reasons that so many of us sell our souls so cheaply is that we don’t know our own value.
So many situations in life shake us up and make us doubt our own worth.
We feel like shit and start pushing down the difficult emotions and thoughts that crowd around.
We want to just feel good, and we go to great lengths to hold onto the illusion of control.
But I get it, letting those feelings out can be hard, especially if you’ve spent so long trying to stay in control of them.
If that’s the case, I highly recommend watching this free breathwork video, created by the shaman, Rudá Iandê.
Rudá isn’t another self-professed life coach. Through shamanism and his own life journey, he’s created a modern-day twist to ancient healing techniques.
The exercises in his invigorating video combine years of breathwork experience and ancient shamanic beliefs, designed to help you relax and check in with your body and soul.
After many years of suppressing my emotions, Rudá’s dynamic breathwork flow quite literally revived that connection.
And that’s what you need:
A spark to reconnect you with your feelings so that you can begin focussing on the most important relationship of all – the one you have with yourself.
So if you’re ready to take back control over your mind, body, and soul, if you’re ready to say goodbye to anxiety and stress, check out his genuine advice below.
Here’s a link to the free video again.
The bottom line
It used to be that you could get a decent price for selling your soul, but these days they go pretty cheap!
It’s like we’re all selling our souls at bargain basement prices and barely getting anything in return.
At least Faust had a fair shake!
Maybe it’s the big promotion or a relationship with the perfect person you always fantasized about…
But selling your soul is never worth it, and there’s still something you can do about it if you’ve hawked your most precious asset.
Make sure to never give up, and remember your own value!
Your soul is not a plaything, and you’re far better off with it nicely in your possession than trading it out for worldly fame or fortune.
